bearing the name of David Porter. The first served the Continental
Congress; his son, born in 1780, gave the best years of his life to his
country on the sea; and his grandson, after having four times received
the thanks of Congress for his services during the Civil War, died at
the head of the navy, with the rank of Admiral, in 1891. David Porter,
second of the name, began his naval career in action, having been, at
the age of eighteen, appointed a midshipman on board the frigate
_Constellation_, and with her, soon after, participated in the fight
where the French frigate _L’Insurgente_ was captured by Truxtun with the
loss of one man killed and two men wounded. Porter subsequently
distinguished himself in the war with Tripoli, was promoted to a
captaincy, and early in the war of 1812 sailed from New York, in command
of the _Essex_, on one of the most eventful cruises ever had by a
man-of-war. His first feat was to capture the _Alert_, in an engagement
of eight minutes, without any loss or damage to his ship; and so well
directed was the fire of the _Essex_, that the _Alert_ had seven feet of
water in her hold when she surrendered. This was the first British war
vessel taken in the conflict. Porter then turned his attention to the
destruction of the
[Illustration: COMMODORE DAVID PORTER
Age 45]
English whale-fishery in the Pacific Ocean, and sailed on this errand,
around the Horn, for Valparaiso. He made such havoc with the British
shipping that the loss footed up to two million and a half of dollars
and four hundred men prisoners.
The British sent two vessels, with picked crews of five hundred men and
a combined armament of eighty-one guns, to search for the _Essex_
(mounting only thirty-two guns and with a crew of two hundred and
fifty-five men), with instructions that neither ship should engage her
singly. They found her in the neutral harbor of Valparaiso, where she
was attacked, in defiance of all neutrality laws; and after one of the
most desperate engagements in naval history, lasting two hours and a
half, the _Essex_ was forced to surrender. Upon his return home, Captain
Porter was received with distinction and given the thanks of Congress
and of several of the States. He retired from the navy, in 1826, to take
command of the Mexican navy, from which he withdrew three years later,
was subsequently appointed consul-general to the Barbary States, then
_chargé d’affaires_ at Constantinople, and later minister resident,
which office he held at the time of his death.
It was but a short time before Porter’s retirement from the navy that
Browere took his life mask, and the toss of the head and the determined
mouth show the qualities that made up David Porter’s character. The
spirited pose of this bust is quite remarkable in a life mask, and would
seem to indicate that Browere’s material must have been, at least in
some degree, flexible. Porter was very enthusiastic over Browere’s work,
as may be seen from the following letter to Major Noah:
MERIDIAN HILL, 18th Sept. 1825.
_Dear Sir_:
By means of epistolary introduction I have had the pleasure of
becoming acquainted with John H. I. Browere, Esq., a young and
deserving artist of your city. Agreeably to your and my friends’
requests, I consented to sit for my portrait bust, which has been
executed by him according to his novel and perfect mode. Mr.
Browere has succeeded to admiration. Nothing can be more accurate
and expressive; in fact, it was impossible that it could be
otherwise than a perfect facsimile of my person, owing to the
peculiar neatness and dexterity which guide his scientific
operation. The knowledge and dexterity of Mr. Browere in this
branch of the Fine Arts is surprising, and were I to express my
opinion on the subject, I should recommend every one who wished to
possess a perfect likeness of himself or friends to resort to Mr.
Browere in preference to any other man. His portrait busts are
_chef d’œuvres_ in the plastic art, unequalled for beauty and
correct delineation of the human form. To those to whom a saving of
time is important, Mr. Browere’s method must receive the
preference, were it solely on that ground. As to the effect of the
operation, none need apprehend the least danger or inconvenience;
it is perfectly safe and not disagreeable, for while the plastic
material is applying to the skin, a sensation both harmless and
agreeable produces a pleasant glow or heat somewhat similar to that
which is felt on entering a warm bath; neither does the composition
affect the eyes, which are covered with it. Too much commendation
of Mr. Browere’s rare and invaluable invention cannot be made. May
he derive benefits from his art equal to his merit. Hoping to have
the pleasure of seeing my friends in New York during the course of
a few weeks, I remain, Dear Sir,
Your obt. servant
DAVID PORTER.
[Illustration]
XIV
_Richard Rush_
The clean-cut features of Richard Rush recall a statesman and a scholar
of “ye olden tyme.” Born in Philadelphia, the eldest son of that signer
of the Declaration of Independence who, both politician and physician,
has been termed the Sydenham of America,--Doctor Benjamin Rush,--and a
kinsman of William Rush, the first American sculptor, mentioned in the
second chapter of this book,--Richard Rush was bred to the bar, and
gained distinction, soon after attaining his majority, by his defence of
William Duane, the editor of the “Aurora” newspaper, accused of
libelling Governor McKean. When only thirty he entered public life by
becoming Attorney-General of Pennsylvania, and at thirty-four was a
member of the cabinet of President Madison, as Attorney-General of the
United States. Three years later, he was for a brief period
[Illustration: RICHARD RUSH
Age 45]
Secretary of State, and then minister from the United States to Great
Britain, being recalled, in 1825, to become Secretary of the Treasury
under John Quincy Adams. It was at this period that Browere made his
mask. Rush was subsequently candidate for Vice-President on the ticket
with John Quincy Adams when Mr. Adams sought a second term.
The career of Richard Rush was not only public, but it was important,
and not the least of his wide-spread benefits were his successful
efforts in securing for this government the munificent legacy of James
Smithson; this was the foundation upon which has been reared the
Smithsonian Institution, which has done so much for scientific pursuits
in this country. James Smithson was a natural son of Hugh Smithson, Duke
of Northumberland, and died in Genoa, June 27, 1829, aged about
seventy-five years. He was a graduate of Oxford, and took up the study
of natural philosophy, for his expertness in several branches of which
he was made a member of the Royal Society and of the French Institute.
He travelled extensively, and formed a very valuable cabinet of minerals
which came into possession of the Institute founded by his liberality,
but which was unfortunately destroyed in the Smithsonian fire of 1865.
Smithson’s illegitimate birth seems to have engendered a desire for
posthumous fame, as he wrote: “The best blood of England flows in my
veins; on my father’s side I am a Northumberland, on my mother’s I am
related to kings; but it avails me not. My name shall live in the
memory of man when the titles of the Northumberlands and the Percys are
extinct and forgotten.” To carry out this desire he bequeathed his whole
property, after the expiration of a life estate, “to the United States
for the purpose of founding an institution at Washington, to be called
the Smithsonian Institution, for the increase and diffusion of knowledge
among men.”
Although Smithson died in 1829, the United States Government was not
advised of the gift until six years afterward, when the life estate fell
in, and the will was thrown into chancery. It was then that Richard Rush
was appointed, by President Jackson, special representative of the
government to pursue and secure the property. He was successful, and
returned to this country, in August of 1838, with the legacy, amounting
to upwards of half a million of dollars. Nothing was done for quite
eight years toward carrying into effect the bequest of Smithson, except
to ask advice, from eminent scholars and educators, as to the best means
of fulfilling the testator’s intention. The consensus of opinion was in
favor of a university or school for higher education, but Mr. Rush
objected to a school of any kind, and proposed a plan which more nearly
corresponded, than any other of the early ones, with that which was
finally adopted. Thus, both in securing the legacy, and directing the
curriculum of the institution, Richard Rush took a most important part.
Mr. Rush’s last official service was as minister to France, during the
eventful years of 1847 to 1851 and he was the first representative of a
foreign power to recognize the new republic. He had a fine literary
sense, which he did not fail to cultivate, and his “Narrative of a
Residence at the Court of London,” and “Washington in Domestic Life,”
from the papers of Tobias Lear, are standard works. It may not be
without interest to add that Mr. Rush was the author of the famous game
“Twenty Questions,” which has been thought worthy of the consideration
of some of the brightest minds in Europe and in America.
[Illustration]
XV
_Edwin Forrest_
For many years Edwin Forrest was regarded as the greatest of American
tragedians, his nearest rival being his namesake Edwin Booth. Now that
the great leveller, death, has claimed them both, it may be questioned
if Forrest’s supremacy is maintained. The animal was so uppermost in
Forrest’s nature and person that he was unsuited to the delineation of
the finer types of character, and therefore his greatest achievements
were in robust parts requiring physical power, where he could rant and
rage at will. In youth he must have had a singularly handsome face, and
he was but twenty-one, in 1827, when Browere made his life mask. It was
during an engagement at the old Bowery theatre, New York, when Forrest
was playing “William Tell.” It will be observed that the head, which is
finely classical, of the Roman type, appears to be bald, while Forrest
took great pride in his
[Illustration: EDWIN FORREST
Age 21]
luxurious locks. This effect happened in this wise. Forrest was a novice
on the stage and had just made his first appearance as _William Tell_.
Browere saw the performance, and was so struck with the personality of
the young actor that he asked permission to take his mask. Forrest
consented, but was so afraid the material of the mould might cling to
his hair, that he insisted upon wearing a skull-cap during the
operation. Some faces change so much from youth to age that it is
difficult, if not impossible, to trace any resemblance of the beginning
in the end. But the characteristics of feature and expression in
Browere’s bust of Forrest are also to be found in his latest
photographs.
The tragedian was born in old Southwark, Philadelphia, March 9, 1806,
and was “stage struck” almost from infancy, playing girl’s parts when
only twelve years old. In his fifteenth year he made his début at the
Walnut Street theatre, Philadelphia, as young _Norval_ in the tragedy of
“Douglas”; and before he was twenty-one had gained considerable
reputation and had played Othello before a New York audience. From this
time he enjoyed a vacillating reputation, but was always the stage idol
of the masses, while his intense personality kept him from appealing to
the refinements of intellect. He died at Philadelphia, December 12,
1872, leaving his fortune, books and paintings to a home for aged actors
to be called the Forrest Home; but his estate was largely crippled by
claims for unpaid alimony due to his divorced wife, so the home is not
exactly what Forrest intended that it should be.
XVI
_Martin Van Buren_
The latest work that we have from the hand of Browere, is the bust from
the life mask of “the Little Magician,” as Martin Van Buren was called,
made in 1833, the year before Browere’s death. Van Buren was then in his
fifty-first year, and he lived until July 24, 1862. His life covered a
longer era and his career witnessed greater changes in national life
than those of any other man who has occupied the presidential chair. He
was born and died in Kinderhook, Columbia county, New York; studied law
with William P. Van Ness, the friend of Burr; and was admitted to the
bar on attaining his majority. He was fitted by taste and temperament
for politics, and politics were fitted for him.
As early as his eighteenth year, before he had a vote, Van Buren was
chosen to take part in a local nominating
[Illustration: MARTIN VAN BUREN
Age 51]
convention; and as soon as he could act, as well as speak, he became an
ardent adherent of the Jeffersonian democracy. His first office was
surrogate of his native county, which place he held for five years; and
when, in 1811, the proposed recharter of the United States Bank was the
leading question of Federal politics, Van Buren took an active part
against the measure. The following year he was elected to the Senate of
New York, and supported President Madison and the War with England,
drawing up the resolution of thanks, voted by the legislature, to
General Jackson for his victory at New Orleans.
In 1815, Van Buren became Attorney-General of New York, from which
office he was removed four years later, owing to his refusal to adhere
to De Witt Clinton, whose policy, excepting as regarded the canal, he
did not approve. The politics of New York were in a most feverish and
topsy-turvy state, and the many factions could not combine to elect a
United States senator in 1818-19, until Van Buren, by his moderation and
his genius for political organization, brought about order and harmony,
and Rufus King, a political opponent of Van Buren, was chosen to the
high office. Two years later Van Buren was rewarded by being also sent
to the Senate, and about the same time was chosen delegate to the
convention which reviewed the Constitution of New York. In this body he
sought to limit the elective franchise to householders, that this
invaluable right of citizenship might not be cheapened and the rural
districts overborne by the cities. Unfortunately he was in the minority,
or such a beneficent provision might have spread over the length and
breadth of the land, so that the elective franchise would have retained
the value of its high prerogative, and not become the valueless and
unwieldy burden that it now is. Van Buren also opposed an elective
judiciary, in both of which positions he was in opposition to his own
party.
In the United States Senate he was for many years chairman of the
Judiciary Committee, and, on the Florida territorial bill voted against
the increase of slavery. He was a strict constructionist of the
Constitution, recognizing that as the only safe canon of interpretation
for a fundamental law; and he had pronounced views in favor of State
rights and against the power of the United States Supreme Court, to
overthrow State laws, believing this contrary to the provision of the
Constitution insuring the inviolability of contracts.
In 1828 he was called from the Senate to the gubernatorial chair of New
York, and, supporting Jackson for the Presidency, was made by him
Secretary of State, which office he resigned to accept the English
mission; but, by the opposition of John C. Calhoun, he was not
confirmed. This discreditable action increased Van Buren’s popularity,
and he succeeded Calhoun as Vice-President for Jackson’s second term,
soon being regarded as the lineal successor to the Presidency. He was
elected, over Harrison and over Webster, pledged to oppose any
interference with slavery in the slave States. The ruling act of his
administration was one for the lasting benefit of the nation, which
never should be forgotten. In his first message to Congress he
deprecated the deposit of public moneys in private banks, which had
followed Jackson’s removal of the deposits from the United States Bank,
and urged an independent treasury for the safe-keeping and disbursements
of the public money; but it was not until near the close of his
administration that he secured congressional assent to the measure. This
has been far-reaching in its beneficial effects, and too much honor
cannot be accorded Van Buren, for his action in the matter, which has
saved the treasury from great financial disruptions. Notwithstanding
this, his administration went down in a cloud, and he was overwhelmingly
defeated for a second term.
Van Buren was opposed to the extension of slavery, but on all other
points was an uncompromising Democrat. On this platform he was again
nominated for the Presidency, in 1848, with Charles Francis Adams as
Vice-President. The result of his candidature was the defeat of General
Cass, the regular Democratic nominee, and the election of General
Taylor. After this he retired from public life and devoted his time to
the writing of his “Inquiry into the Origin and Course of Political
Parties in the United States,” a work which has been called more an
apology than a history. When the Civil War came upon the nation, Van
Buren gave zealous support to the National Government. He was an intense
partisan, masterful in leadership, reducing politics to a fine art. It
has been well said that, “combining the statesman’s foresight with the
politician’s tact, he showed his sagacity, rather by seeking a majority
for his views than by following the views of a majority.” He was far
from being a demagogue, and he was frequently found fighting on the
unpopular side. His convictions were strong, and he adhered to them with
tenacity. While from peculiar circumstances his public career has been
the subject of much partisan denunciation, he is entitled, both for
activity and ability, to a higher niche in the temple of fame than is
commonly accorded him. Van Buren was small in stature and of blond
coloring. The physiognomist would accord to him penetration, quickness
of apprehension and benevolence of disposition, while the phrenologist
would add unusual reflective faculties, firmness and caution.
[Illustration]
XVII
_Death Mask of James Monroe_
The masks that Browere made from the subject in full life, must not be
confused in any sense with the more common mask made after death. This
confusion could not occur with any one who has had an opportunity to
observe Browere’s work or to make comparison with the reproductions in
this book; but persons not familiar with these portrait busts, and
having only some knowledge of masks made after death, or of such life
masks as Clark Mills made,--which are thoroughly death-like in their
character,--might easily fall into such an error, and, looking upon the
latter as repulsive and worthless as portraiture, give no heed to the
different character and true value of Browere’s living likenesses.
Mr. Laurence Hutton, in his very curious and interesting volume entitled
“Portraits in Plaster,” says: “The value of a plaster cast as a
portrait of the dead or living face cannot for a moment be questioned.
It must of necessity be absolutely true to nature. It cannot flatter; it
cannot caricature. It shows the subject as he was, not only as others
saw him in the actual flesh, but as he saw himself. And in the case of a
death mask particularly, it shows the subject often as he permitted no
one but himself to see himself. He does not pose; he does not ‘try to
look pleasant.’ In his mask he is seen, as it were, with his mask off.”
I do not quote these words, of my accomplished friend Mr. Hutton, simply
for the purpose of combating them, but to show how differently two,
perfectly sincere, honest delvers after historic truth, can see the same
thing. Having made portraiture my study for many years, and thus having
in my mind’s eye, indelibly fixed, the faces of legions of public men, I
have yet to see a death mask that I could recognize at sight; many I
could recall when told whose masks they were, but more yet have, to my
vision, no resemblance whatever to the living man. Mr. Story, the
eminent American sculptor but recently deceased, recognized how
untrustworthy even life masks are as portraits. In speaking of what is
claimed to be Houdon’s original mask of Washington, which Mr. Story
owned, he wrote: “Indeed, a mask from the living face, though it repeats
exactly the true forms of the original, lacks the spirit and expression
of the real person.” So true is this, that when Mr. St. Gaudens first
saw Clark Mills’s life mask of President Lincoln, he insisted that it
was a death mask; for, without “the spirit and expression,” where can
the likeness be? As Sir Joshua Reynolds says in one of his Discourses:
“In portraits, the grace and, we may add, the likeness consists more in
taking the general air than in observing the exact similitude of every
feature.” In photography we have “the exact similitude of every
feature,” yet how often are photographs bad likenesses, because they
lack “the spirit and expression”!
While it is possible to preserve “the spirit and expression” as well as
to give “the exact similitude of every feature” in a life mask, as
exemplified in the marvellous work of Browere, it is impossible in a
death mask, for these evanescent qualities are then gone. I am not quite
certain that even “the exact similitude of every feature” is preserved
in a death mask; certainly the natural relation of one feature to
another is not. The death mask may, to a degree, be a correct
reproduction of the bony structure, but only to a limited degree as it
was in nature, for the obvious reason that the ligaments, holding the
sections of bone together in their proper places, become relaxed with
dissolution, and the bones lose their exact positions, which condition
even the slight weight of the plaster increases.
Masks, too, will sometimes approach caricature, if they will not
flatter, for they will reproduce peculiarities of formation which may
not be observable superficially. This view is emphasized by Lavater in
his “Physiognomy,” as quoted by Mr. Hutton. Lavater writes: “The dead
and the impressions of the dead, taken in plaster, are not less worthy
of observation [than the living faces]. The settled features _are much
more prominent_ than in the living and in the sleeping. What life makes
fugitive, death arrests. What was undefinable, is defined. All is
reduced to its proper level; each trait is in its exact proportion,
unless excruciating disease or accident have preceded death.” This is
undoubtedly true from the point of view of the physiognomist, and it is
his much desired vantage-ground, for his only object is to read the
features laid bare.
From Browere’s hand we have but one death mask, and although it is open
to much of the objection urged against death masks generally, it is
superior to any other death mask I have ever seen. It is difficult to
believe it was made after life was gone, so vibrant with life it seems.
It possesses more living, breathing qualities than the life masks made
by other men. If any proof were needed of the inestimable value of
Browere’s lost process for making masks, it can be found in the quality
of this death mask of James Monroe.
Monroe’s name is perhaps more familiarly known to the public than that
of any other President, save Washington and Lincoln, owing to its
association with the doctrine, which he
[Illustration: DEATH MASK OF JAMES MONROE]
promulgated, of non-interference on the western hemisphere by European
nations, known as the “Monroe Doctrine.” He was the fourth of the seven
Virginian Presidents, and left William and Mary College, when only
eighteen, as a lieutenant in Hugh Mercer’s regiment, to join
Washington’s army. He served throughout the Revolutionary War, having
been wounded at Trenton, and was present at Monmouth, Brandywine, and
Germantown. In 1782 he took his seat in the Assembly of Virginia, and
later was a delegate to Congress. Monroe took an active part in the
controversy relative to the settlement of the Northwest Territory, which
was quieted only by the Ordinance of 1787; and although he had a hand in
originating the convention to frame a constitution for the General
Government, he was not a member of it, and opposed the ratification of
its work.